The two of them had developed a comfortable rhythm together, each one ready to step up to support the other. Siobhan had missed this feeling of giving and taking, and it was this more than anything else that had earned her respect. Ailill did not shy away from the less glamorous parts of parenting, the discipline, and the day to day weathering of temper tantrums. He was as true a companion as any mother could hope for.

Siobhan watches him interact with her daughter with a new feeling blooming in her heart. It had been budding for a while now, fed with his consistent devotion to the children of her heart, and it was getting harder and harder to ignore it. Her heartfelt like a muddied mess of past and present, and for the first time since arriving in these isles, she felt as though she needed an escape. Not just to the shore or to Paradise, but a real change of scenery. She needed a genuine moment to take stock of her life, and how she wanted to live it moving forward.

If losing Laoise had taught her one thing, it was that regardless of what you wanted, the future kept moving on.

Roisin glows at his praise and she taps at the ground excitedly with her forehoof. As he mentions her sister, the girl's blazed face turns in the direction he had come from, eagerness written all over her face. The girl orients toward the jungle, even raising onto her delicate limbs to get a vantage point. "Is she still there? I like flowers too."

Ro waits long enough to hear his answer, but it is clear she is already working on how to ask her mother for permission, even before the young filly crafts the response. Siobhan lets her work it out, hiding her amusement with pressed lips. "Momma, can I go see if Aislinn is still there? I'll pick you a flower!"

Chuckling, she gave her assent, and when the girl departs from the clearing, she finally turns her attention back to Ailill. She had been forced to drop her gaze from his when he had replied to her first comment, the intimacy of it making her heartbeat thunderously in her chest. Was he really so certain she could not ask too much of him?

"I do not wish to belong to her, Ailill. Nor to give her the power to prevent us from leaving, if we choose to do so." She sighs softly, casting a brief glance to the jungle around them. "I hope she stays true to her word."

A smile winds it's way onto her lips, made smaller by her bout of shyness. Briefly, she looks away from the golden stallion at her side, surprised that being alone with him made the butterflies rise in her stomach. It was a rare moment when they weren't accompanied by one filly or another.

"I'm sorry I've been such a basketcase. You know I appreciate everything you do for them, and for me." She says it gently, aligning her figure beside him so that she can stretch out her muzzle out to touch his shoulder. "I would be a mess if I didn't have you to support us."

Siobhan pauses for a moment, flicking the auburn strands of her tail across her hocks. After a moment's pause and a brief swallow, she continues. "The girls are near weaning soon. I can't believe they've gotten so big."

After a pause she asks, genuine curiosity in her voice. "I don't think I've ever asked. Do you have any of your own, Ailill?"